Embers of a Rocket
by Jinseiwakurai-Shouganai
Summary: Ember and her stoic (boring, in her opinion) scientist partner Cinder are two forces to be reckoned with. They are the top field agents in the entirety of Team Rocket, a team rumoured to have even turned down a promotion from Giovanni himself. So why is Ember having guilty thoughts? Will their latest mission prove to be the end of the pair's partnership? Slight amourshipping.
1. Of New Missions and 'lution love

I sat on the edge of the cliff, pushing a strand of caramel coloured hair behind my ear. Beside me, Lune, my umbreon, nudged my shoulder with her head, and I petted her distractedly, running over mission details in my head.

This was the biggest mission of my career by far. It was made doubly hard by the fact that I had to dupe the pokémon league, hundreds of trainers, including the elite fours and champions of all six regions, and my only back up was my scientist partner, Cinder.

It was going to be hard, to say the least. I shrugged, looking out onto the city below, glowing with the rays of the early morning sun. If all the other grunts saw me now, they would be teasing me for weeks to come.

I whirled around as I head a shifting behind me, sighing when I realised it was only Cinder with Clank, his Jolteon. He adjusted his wide-rimmed glasses over his brown eyes, his brown hair looking extremely dishevelled this morning. As usual, he was wearing his lab coat. Over his pyjamas. What a nerd. He came to sit by me, and Clank sat next to Lune. I couldn't be sure, but I think they had a crush on each other.

"Well, I hacked into the blueprints of the stadium, and I can confirm it is a simple layout, only two exits on the battle field, those being... Hey! are you even listening to me?" I was cut out of my thoughts when Cinder spoke.

I looked up at him "What was that again?" I asked, and Cinder, Clank and Lune all sweatdropped at the same time.

He repeated what he said, and I nodded. "Alright. All we need are the trainer's pokémon, the audience can go suck it, for all I care." I said, standing up, stretching in my Team Rocket uniform. I went to head into town, before Cinder stopped me.

"Ember..." He said hesitantly. I turned to look at him.

"Hmm?" I asked airily.

"You might want to get changed, it is called 'undercover' for a reason..." Cinder advised, and I blushed, covering it up with a teasing façade.

Tugging on the hem of his lab coat, I narrowed my eyes and wagged my tongue "Watch out, _Cinderella_, somebody might think you are just trying to get me out of my clothes." I flirted.

The glasses wearing scientist coughed, straightening his lab coat where I tugged it out of place. "That would be rather unpleasant, don't you think?" he asked in his no-nonsense tone of his. I had no idea whether he was teasing me, or telling me his observations.

Either way, I hit him. "Jerk!" I shouted, storming away to the tent I shared with him. It wasn't a one room, tiny tent like that. It was red and black, and had two individual pods to sleep in. I ducked into my own pod and took out my disguise clothes.

They were simple, a black sun dress with red buttons, a pair of red and black sandals and a belt with my pokeballs on. I walked back out again, slinging my bag over my shoulder. Cinder ducked in, grabbed his laptop bag, and pressed a button on a remote, making the tent fold in on itself until it resembled a large backpack. He pulled it on over his shoulders and nodded, and motioned for me to go first. I mock-bowed, heading down the path into the sleepy town.

* * *

**Time Skip**

* * *

I mentally sighed as the stupidly nice Nurse Joy gave me a key to a pokémon centre room and handed me my newly healed pokéballs. "We hope to see you again!" She said cheerfully, waving as I went to climb up the stairs. I was sorely tempted to toss her out of the window for even suggesting that she wishes to see my partners hurt badly enough to need her attention.

I held onto my anger, barely. Cinder received his pokéballs from the Demon Nurse From Hell, as I now liked to call her, and I noticed with a frown that Nurse Joy didn't wish his pokémon, in fact she instead seemed to be flirting with the scientist. What was this feeling inside my chest? It couldn't be Jealousy...

Right? I shook my head, and with a heavy heart, I turned back around and started to walk up the stairs. Then promptly bumped into somebody. I fell back, but then two hands grabbed my shoulders, steadying me. I was about to glare at the person who had just gotten in my way, but then quickly caught myself, remembering that I was on a mission.

"So sorry about that!" the girl who had just caught me apologised. I examined her. She seemed very ordinary, long light brown hair, almost the same colour of mine, wide blue eyes, and a pink straw hat.

I forced a laugh. "I'm sorry too, I wasn't looking where I was going!" I say in a (forced) happy tone.

We both nodded, and the girl with the straw hat continued on down the stairs, I up. I reached the landing, looking down at the key card in my hand. "13B, 13B" I mutter under my breath, grinning when I reach the door with the golden number emblazoned on it. Squealing like a little girl, I quickly slide the card down the side of the door, an electronic lock there, and run in, collapsing backwards onto the bed.

I glance towards the door of the adjoining room, 13A, and sigh, knowing that Cinder would be walking into my rooms countless hours of the night, having just created a new invention and wanting to test it out. Usually on me. I release Lune from her pokéball, and she hops onto the bed beside me, nosing my palm so that I would stroke her head. I smirked.

"Nah, don't think I will, actually..." I tease, and she growls. I laugh. "Just kidding, Lune!" I say, and ruffle her black fur. Despite being one of the most trusted Team Rocket operatives, known on a first-name-basis by Giovanni himself, I had a soft spot for pokémon. I always made sure that pokémon I stole always went to kind buyers.

The adjacent door opened, and Cinder came in hesitantly. I looked up. "Hey." I said, still stroking Lune. Clank jumped up, and I started stroking his yellow fur along with Lune's. Cinder stood hesitantly by the door, and I groaned, still lying down with my head hanging off of the mattress, looking at him upside-down.

"Seriously, _Cinderella_, we've been partners for almost a year now. Sit." I commanded, and he obediently sat down in an armchair, laptop bag with him as always.

"Ember, I have heard of a trainer seminar taking place at nineteen hundred hours. I think that it would be beneficial if you went and scouted out the strongest trainers. That way, we will be able to watch potential targets for longer, and not worry about the mundane and terrible ones" Cinder said in his all-too-scientific tone.

"Do I have to?" I groan.

"Yes, Ember, you have to." he confirmed. I closed my eyes, shifting back so that I was lying on the bed properly, Lune and Clank's heads resting on my stomach.

"Wake me up then, then." I say, promptly falling asleep.

* * *

**Time Skip**

* * *

I pretended to be asleep as I was woken by Cinder repeating my name over and over. He then attempted to shake me into waking me up, still saying my name. I still pretended to be asleep.

Too bad he knows me so well. He mumbles a command to Clank, who proceeds to bombard me with his thunderbolt. I jolted up, looking wildly around. "I'm up, I'm up!" I cried out.

"Good. You have an hour and a half to shower and sort out your fried clothing before we have to walk to the seminar." Cinder says from the armchair he had occupied before. I distantly wondered whether he had been sat there all of the time I was asleep, but instantly dismissed the thought. I had been asleep since eleven in the morning, and judging by what Cinder just told me, it was about 5 or six by now. Lune and Clan looked up from where they were curled up together on the bed and gave me what looked to amount to a smirk.

I jumped out of bed. "Get out then, I don't want you staring at me getting changed like a pervert." I said, and Cinder nodded, walking through his door into his separate bedroom, Clank reluctantly following after him.

"I recommend that you find some 'friends' tonight, so that you will not blow your cover." Cinder said, making quotation marks with his fingers. I simply threw a pillow at him, and he ducked, letting it fly into his room. "Thank you for the extra pillow, Ember. I'm certain that it will make me much more comfortable tonight." He said in his usual tone, making me wonder not for the first time whether he was teasing or not. Either way, he beat a hasty retreat into his room, and closed the door, making me growl.

* * *

**I do not own Pokémon, instead, I own a very adorable Umbreon plushie named Tsu. he spoke to me last night and told me that I was destined to be the very best, like noone ever was. So then, I will own Pokémon. Just not today.**

**Hello, I had gotten this random idea one day when I was on a group on facebook named 'Team Rocket'. I am going to start writing the next chapter of An Aura Master's True Identity (or as I like to call it, AAMTI) tomorrow, don't you fret!**

**So, tell me what you think of this story so far! It will be longer later on. This story is going to be EmberxCinder, with a side of healthy Amourshipping. The title is in heavy debate, so don't expect it to stick like this for long!**

**~Jinseiwakurai-Shouganai, Signing out!**


	2. Of Latin and idiot boys

I scowled, tugging on the hem of my stupid dress. This one was so much tighter than my uniform-or even my singed sun dress- that I had barely any room to breath. As usual, I had Lune out of her pokéball and walking beside me and Cinder was right behind us, Clank accompanying him.

I paused at the entrance to the large hall before me. Inside, there were most likely hundreds of trainers, all conversing with one another happily. I looked around, hoping to see somebody a little less intelligent than the rest of the people here, and felt victory surge through my chest when I spotted a familiar pink straw hat a couple of metres away.

The girl from before was stood talking with three other kids, a young blonde girl, an older blonde guy with glasses, and a raven haired kid with a Pikachu on his shoulder.

Come to think of it, he seemed familiar. Cinder sidled up to me and whispered into my ear in Latin, so as not to let the ignorant trainers overhear us.

**"Puer cum Ash Pikachu Ketchum nominatur. Titanum multae operationes nostrae qui est ante. In genere plurimum Pikachu fama est."** ("The boy with the Pikachu is named Ash Ketchum. He is the one that has foiled many of our operations before. The Pikachu is rumoured to be the most powerful of its kind.") **[1]** Cinder explained.

I was instantly wary. The most powerful Pikachu? That didn't bode well...

Obviously Cinder could read minds now, because he once again answered what I was thinking.

**"Sed non multum cures. Puer stupidiores et fama." **("I would not worry too much. The boy is also rumoured to be rather stupid.") he assured me.

I nodded. _Whether he likes it or not, Ash Ketchum is about to make some new friends._

I plastered a fake smile on my face, and grabbed Cinder's wrist, making him splutter rather uncharacteristically of him, his face turning bright red. Lune and Clank followed close behind us, and I could hear Lune giggling.

Scientist partner in tow, I walked up to the group of clueless trainers and tapped the straw hat girl on the shoulder. She jumped and quickly turned around, and I waved, letting go of Cinder's wrist.

I vaguely acknowledged him adjusting his glasses as the teen girl smiled widely. She seemed sweet. I felt almost sorry that I would most likely be stealing her pokémon sometime in the future.

"Hi there!" I said in a (false) cheerful voice. I stuck out a hand. "I'm sorry I didn't get to introduce myself before; I'm Ember, and this umbreon here is Lune."

The girl shook her head. "No, its fine. My name's Serena, and these are my friends Ash, Bonnie and Clemont." Serena introduced, and I waved.

Cinder cleared his throat, apparently recovered from my 'attack' and stepped forward holding his hand out to the blonde guy. Probably because they both had glasses. "My name's Cinder, it is nice to meet you." He said and attempted a smile. He looked like he was suffering from constipation.

Clemont took it. "So, are you two going out or something?" Serena asked, and I flushed a bright red, stuttering.

"Me, go out with _him_?!" I yelled a little too loud, and everybody stopped talking, turning to stare at us. Crap. Talk about keeping a low profile. Lune burst out into full-out poké-laughter, and Clank chuckled as Cinder and I panicked, waving our hands in front of ourselves.

Serena leapt back in shock and Ash scratched the back of his head.

"What do you mean by 'going out'?" he asked confusedly, and everybody fell to the floor, anime-style.

_Is this guy for real? What normal teenager doesn't know what it means by 'going out'?! Even Cinder knows what that means, and he is as asexual as it gets!_

We all struggle to our feet, and Cinder made to open his mouth, most likely to explain the meaning. I clapped a hand over his lips, shaking my head. For some reason, I couldn't bear to ruin the boy's image of the world.

"Don't you dare" I chastised, and the little blonde girl jumped up, taking my hand.

"Well, if you aren't dating anybody, will you please marry my brother? He may be a little dopey looking, but he is really nice!" She said cheerfully, down on one knee.

_Marry her brother?! You have to be kidding me, right? _

"Bonnie!" Clemont cried out, and a mechanical aipom arm came out of his backpack, grabbing the sheepish girl by the back of her shirt. I could feel Cinder's interest peak at the machinery, and I audibly did a little count-down.

"Five..." Cinder stiffened.

"Four..." Cinder's glasses shone in the light.

"Three..." The Rocket scientist leaned forward.

"Two..." A grin spread against his rugged features.

"One..." He opened his mouth to speak.

"And zero..." Cinder leapt forward, taking Clemont's shoulders forcefully.

"Wow, your aipom arm is just-just _amazing_! Do you still have the blueprints? It would be great if I could build one. It would help amazingly in the lab, give me an extra set of arms to work with!" He said in a rush, acting like a little boy on Christmas who had just unwrapped a laser cannon from Santa.

Clemont leaned back, and Lune, Clank and I burst into laughter. He was always like this when it came to shiny things.

Cinder caught himself, and straightened up, adjusting the askew collar of his lab coat. "Ahem. What I _meant_ to say was, ah, that it would be rather kind of you to assist me in the creation of such refined machinery." Cinder said in an attempt to sound as cool-boring-as possible.

I rolled my eyes and patted him on the back. "I'd just help him. When it comes to science, he never could resist the stuff" I said teasingly. Inwardly, I was pissed. How could he be so stupid as to draw so much unnecessary attention to hisself?

Lune rubbed her head against my thigh, crying softly. I let out a happy sigh and rubbed her yellow ring of fur, tracing the round outline lovingly.

Everybody laughed, and I was relieved to see that they had all brushed it off as if it was nothing. I did notice that Ash was watching me a little too closely. Maybe he wasn't as idiotic as everybody thought. I made a metal note to watch out for that one in the future.

Serena smiled, and Cinder straightened his glasses, his blush receding and being replaced by his usual emotionless expression.

Clemont smiled nervously "S-sure I'll help you with whatever you need!" the confused boy said in a rush.

Cinder and Clank both bowed. "It would be a pleasure working with you." Cinder said thankfully, and Clank agreed with a slight cry. It seemed to be a little too much for Lune, as she then nuzzled the jolteon.

"So, are you all battling in the tournament?" I asked casually, giving them a smirk. This one was most definitely not faked.

Serena shook her head. "Nah. Just Ash. Clemont, Bonnie and I just travel with him."

Ash's pikachu chirped out in agreement. "What about you two? Are you both battling?" Ash asked.

"Nope! Just me! Seems like we're rivals!" I said, seemingly embracing the rivalry. I knew we would most likely battle in the tournament, and I knew that to complete my mission objective I would have to bring out the big guns.

he held out his hand to me, and I took it, linking my hand with his confidently, squeezing maybe a little too tightly. I thought I even saw his face twist up into a grimace.

_Poor Ash. I'm sure he'll get over it in time._

I took my hand out of his and grabbed Cinder's. "We best be getting to bed, anyway," I said "We'll see you guys tomorrow night for the opening ceremony?"

The four of them nodded.

"Night!" The chimed in unison.

"Yeah, night." I answered.

"Sleep well" Cinder said.

I turned on my heel and dragged Cinder behind myself much as I had done upon entering. "Mission accomplished." I whispered to Cinder lowly. He merely grunted in response.

* * *

**Well, that's chapter 2 done! I will be updating this a lot less than An Aura Master's True Identity, in case you didn't know. **

**Tell me what you think, leave a little review! And please try out my other stories, including my newest Ferriswheelshipping one, He's out there!**

**By the way, it wont be just Ember and Cinder. I will add another OC into the mix, as back up. So look forward to that!**

**~Jinseiwakurai-Shouganai, signing out!**


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